State colleges and universities have hiring freeze after budget cuts miscalculation

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

State colleges and universities have hiring freeze after budget cuts miscalculation

HARTFORD–There’s been a lot of controversy ever since Gov. Dan Malloy released his budget, and even more so after it was announced that he had miscalculated the necessary budget cuts.

Due to the cuts, there is now a hiring freeze in effect for all state universities and colleges. Any open position that has not begun a formal interview process will now have to remain unfilled until the freeze is lifted.

The president of the Board of Regents, Dr. Gregory Gray, said in an email sent to CCSU students:

For academic year 2015-2016, the CSCU budget “hole” contained in the Governor’s biennial budget proposal is, unfortunately, all too real, and may be growing larger as FY 2015 comes to a close. Initially we were expecting it to be $38 million, but in recent days it appears as though it will be “north” of $40 million. As we attempt to develop a balanced plan to address this problem, while remaining true to our commitment to access and affordability for our students, it has become apparent that a total hiring freeze will be an essential, and responsible, first step. Accordingly, ALL open searches must be suspended. Only those searches which are currently in a formal interview phase will be permitted to conclude. Any other exceptions must be approved by the college and the CSCU System presidents. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.

Initially, state colleges and universities were expected to lose $38 million due to cuts, but it appears that number will now be more than $40 million due to the budget miscalculation.

There are 17 institutions that are being impacted by the freeze, though the exact number of positions impacted is unclear.